Tales of Hope : Kingdom Hearts
by The Roamer King
Summary: Chrysos; the last denizen of Adyte, a World destroyed by Darkness. His life is filled with only guilt for killing his beloved Aurelia and destroying his World. A darker take on Kingdom Hearts with a new story and new characters.
1. Azriel Part One

**Tales of Hope -Kingdom Hearts-**

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**IMPORTANT** – While this is based off of Kingdom Hearts it **does not involve canonical characters**, but rather it is a **new story based in the same world**. It does mention characters such as Ansem and Xehanort, who have both done extensive research on Darkness, which is important to the story.

Things to note in this part:

**Chrysos** – pronounce the name like 'crisis.' The name means 'golden' in Greek. Protagonist.

**Adyte** – derivative of Aditi, meaning freedom. Look up the etymology if you want to. Pronounced 'ah-DEITY.'

**Azriel** – 'Help of God' in Hebrew. Serves as a kind of Traverse Town of sorts, where refugees of Heartless Attacks are gathered. Pronounced 'az-ray-ill.'

**Aedan** – Means 'fire' in old Celtic mythology. Pronounced 'AYY-oh-din.'

**Daliastar** – Derived from Dalia, meaning 'fate,' and Astar, meaning 'Star.' It means Star of Fate.

**Heartless** – None in the early chapters, because Azriel at the moment holds no interest for the Darkness.

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**Chapter One: Azriel**

**Part One

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_A man who does not deserve to live…_

These words echoed in the ears of a young man, standing on the edge of the iconic clock tower in Azriel. His name was Chrysos, the last living survivor of Adyte, a World eaten by Darkness. The young man, nineteen years of age, loomed over the far away streets of the World Azriel. This place was supposed to be a sanctuary, where the remnants of Lost Worlds are gathered, yet they are struggling every day for new life. Deep down, the streets are littered with the homeless refugees, who came here upon the promise of salvation, only to be left with Hell. You can hear them, crying everyday, wishing for a hope.

'_If only we brought some money with us…'_ they cry, they moan. All of this is to blame on the lord of Azriel, a terrible man who keeps the World and its people under his thumb. Easily with his military force, this man could throw anyone who opposed him into the deepest Darkness of Space, where they would no doubt be consumed by the Heartless. This twisted man was known to the public of Azriel as Aedan, King of Fire. Such a title was given to Aedan because of his lineage, one that consists of Sorcerers of Flame. Using this ancestor's name alone was he able to claim Azriel under his rule the day he landed there after his own World was destroyed. People can still remember what kind of place Azriel was before Lord Aedan's rule.

The World was peaceful, and people supported each other through the times of need. Acts like this were what separated hope and despair. Even when their Worlds were gone, they still had the promise of starting anew. Today, this Azriel is to eat or be eaten, and whoever has money has the right to live it seemed. An ugly thought, many agreed, but the citizens could not help any other way.

Chrysos watched the city like a hawk. He was alone in this World. And it was the fault of a tool many would have believed to be used for good. In his right hand, he held a small white light. The instant Chrysos willed it, a sword in the shape of a key formed from the light. Its color had faded, as with its power, because the Strength of Heart that had originally fueled it is long gone. The Hope Key it was once called. Yet to Chrysos, it only brought pain and misfortune.

Chrysos looked at the great clock behind him. The face of the clock seemed to beckon him, compelling him to draw nearer. Chrysos did so, and as the light of the clock's face exposed his silhouette, gunshots in the distance are heard. A young girl, clad in a white coat and black slacks and boots, jumped from building to building coming nearer and nearer to him. Behind her, several armored men followed, each carrying a halberd bearing the mark of Aedan, making them Knights of the Flame.

"Hey, you there!" she called out. Chrysos immediately took notice of this girl, who was repeatedly turning and shooting at the Flame Knights. '_What a stupid girl,'_ thought Chrysos. '_Her gun can only hold the Knights off for so long. Those bullets won't ever penetrate that armor'. _On Chrysos' back was a rather long broadsword. The weapon was gray and looked like stone. "Listen," she called out again. By then she had reached the clock tower, and was standing behind him. In his ear she whispered, "Help me out, okay?"

After she asked of his assistance, the Knights reached the ledge of the clock tower as well, standing before Chrysos and the girl. One Knight charged at the two, fiercely chopping downward with his weapon. At this moment, the young man took hold of the girl and jumped to the ledge above, dodging the attack with ease. He continued this until he reached the flat area, the very top of the tower. This area covered about twenty feet all around, squared off, and seemed wide enough to be perfect for a battle. Soon following, the Knights came upon this battle area as well. One by one, they activated a mechanism igniting a coat of flames to power up their halberds.

"Of all the luck…" the girl said exasperatedly. "These guys are some of the higher-ranked of the Flame Knights. It won't be easy to off them…"

Chrysos let the girl down and placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword. As the Knights charged at him, Chrysos rapidly slammed the weapon into the ground, causing a deep fissure in the flooring, knocking the men off balance. He walked to each one, hitting them with the blade with extreme force, throwing them off of the tower. The girl watched in amazement as this show of inhuman strength played before her. Excitedly, she was about to approach him. However, before she could react, the stone blade was a mere centimeter from her throat.

"H-hey…What…what are you doing?" she asked nervously. This man helped her, right? _Why is he so hostile? _she asked herself. Chrysos did not answer. His eyes narrowed, intensified, and seemed to pierce her soul. Those eyes, they seemed so cold.

"I don't have time for you," he stated coldly. "Get off of my tower."

Chrysos put the stone blade away, hanging it over his back once more. The girl held her throat, half-scared to death, but at the same time, amazed at this young man's feat of power. "You…you live here?" she asked. The young man ignored her, staring off at the moon. "My name is Lucia…I'm part of the rebellion, Daliastar…"

Chrysos turned around, slightly surprised. "Daliastar?" After a moment, he turned back to the moon. It had nothing to do with him, as far as he was concerned. Daliastar meant 'Star of Fate,' as a symbol of hope to the people of Azriel. Already they have been labeled as a terrorist group by the Fire King Aedan, and its members have attacked several Officials' Buildings. They are quite the thorn in Aedan's side.

"That's right; Daliastar! We named it after our home World," she replied. Obviously she wanted this young man to join the Daliastar cause.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked quietly. In his mind, he wanted this young woman to leave, let him rot in his own Darkness. '_Why is she loitering about here?'_ asked he, angrily. '_Damn woman…'_

"Because you should join."

"I don't have time for this."

"You could be a great help to us."

"I'm leaving."

"You're marked by them now."

That was all she said to stop Chrysos. Lucia stood firm on the clock tower. "They know your face; they know this clock tower."

"And whose fault is that?" he asked angrily.

"The Knights won't stop coming here until you are dead."

Chrysos remained silent. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally said, "It would be better if I were."

Lucia sighed. There was no helping this man right now. "I won't try to convince you further. But if you ever need help, use this." She tossed him a small, round device. It fit perfectly in his hand. On the side of the contraption was a small grooved button fit for the thumb. "It's a specialized phone we call a Starlink. Press the button and you would be able to communicate with me and other Daliastar you've added to it."

"I don't need this."

"Keep it. It's a gift," she said rather cheerfully. Giving him one last smile, Lucia jumped off of the tower, falling through the night. She disappeared in the darkness.

Chrysos looked at the machine before pocketing it. This Starlink probably won't ever be used, but he has no choice than to keep it. Should he cast it aside, a Knight may pick it up, and find the Daliastar base. Everyone in there would be killed. "That damn Lucia." He jumped down the tower, and into a small opening in the clock face.

Inside was nothing but many interlocking gears and machinery, keeping the clock functional. It was a strange place to sleep, but it provided shelter to him. The tower had been abandoned for a long time, but it still had the room and bath for the manager of the tower, who had died a long time ago. Chrysos did not feel bad about taking the home of a dead man, but he felt bad for taking a home away from the many homeless people of the streets below.

"I hate this city…" he whispered sadly. It had been a few weeks since he had come from Adyte, traveling across a road of Darkness that had opened up during the Heartless attack. As soon as he had arrived on Azriel, Aedan's revolution began. It started with a large red and gray ship, docking into the Azriel port with the other Gummi Ships. It was called the Star Phoenix, the flagship of the Aedan's fleet, and the only one left from the attack on his home World. One would say he was a victim as well, because he already lost his old kingdom, one built upon for so many years, but his childish and brutish behavior started him declaring rule over Azriel. He killed innocent people he didn't like, he killed people who defied his tyranny, and he killed people just for standing on the same road as he. Out of the Star Phoenix came the horrible thing that gave him control, the Knights of Flame. It was a large ship, and down from it descended two-hundred and thirty-seven Knights. A matter of days had passed before Aedan claimed complete dominance.

It wasn't long before the Daliastar Group appeared. You'd think they were thought of as heroes. They never involve the innocent, but it's because of that the innocent are involved. Aedan now holds every citizen hostage because of the Daliastar Group. Since then, Daliastar had ceased major operations for now, trying to keep the innocent alive. Of course, it was already too late, because three people were already executed. The executions were held publicly, and the people of Azriel were forced to come, so that Daliastar wouldn't try to rescue anyone. If they had, then the audience would have been killed by the Knights instead. Both the Daliastar and the Flame Order became symbols of hate amongst Azriel.

Chrysos had finished his shower. As he left the bath, a breath of cool air gently brushed against his body. It was time for sleep, if he could sleep that is. He entered the bed and closed his eyes. An hour had passed like this, and no sleep came to him. Frustrated, the young man kicked about a little. He wasn't relaxed, for the guilt of Adyte was keeping his mind unsteady. He shut his eyes even tighter.

Throughout the night, whispers echoed in the tower. _"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"_


	2. Azriel Part Two

Things to note in this part:

**Invincible – **Not 'Invisible' from Kingdom Hearts, but a new type of Heartless. They are weak in speed, but are moderately powerful. Their claws can tear any foe up in order to seize that foe's Heart.

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**Chapter One: Azriel**

**Part Two

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"What the hell, Lucia? What happened to the operation?"

A young man popped up from a couch, Starlink gripped tightly in his hand. Lucia had just returned from her mission, to destroy the information collected on the Daliastar Group. The headquarters of the Daliastar Group consisted of only two rooms. One was the main area, the large room, which had the secret elevator leading to the above. It was the room she was in now, the man and the couch being in the corner with a small coffee table. Across the room was the rest-area, a small room with four bunks. They didn't have a lot of members, or a lot of money. They built this place all by hand.

"Relax, Kite. I've destroyed the computers in Building Three, just like you asked," she replied coolly. It had been an hour since her encounter with the man on the clock tower. _Damn it…I didn't get his name._

The Daliastar Group's hideout was underground, beneath a small confectionery store called LOVE. It wasn't that big of a place as it had only been built a month before. Because the Daliastar Group is relatively new, only formed after Aedan claimed supreme, the Knights of Flame have been searching every new building for the headquarters. Of course, the confectionery store had been there for quite a long time now. They thought no one would suspect such a small place. It's possible to think that a bar would be hiding a rebel group, but more oft than not a sweets-shop is innocent.

"Why didn't you answer your Starlink?" he asked. Kite was a thin man. So thin, in fact, that he looked as if he would break on one's knee. He had long black hair, and like Lucia, wore a hat with a star symbol. Also like Lucia, he was one of the people who came from Daliastar. They were from opposite sides of the World, so the two only met recently. It was like that for a lot of the members of the Daliastar Group. They lost most of their friends, and they don't normally get along. But they have the same cause, and won't let petty matters hinder their teamwork.

"Ah…This thing?" Lucia asked, picking the small round device from her pocket. "I had it on silent." She gave her colleague a little smirk, thinking, _'Thank goodness I brought two with me…I knew I had a good feeling today.'_

"S…Silent?" The question was rhetorical. There was no 'silent' on the Starlink.

"All right, all right. I just didn't want to answer."

"Stupid!"

Another man approached Lucia. He was like the complete opposite of Kite, who was ridiculously thin. This man had a large, burly build with a thick, full face. On his face was a large scar, earned from the days Daliastar did big missions. "It's okay. She completed the mission," said he.

"Ray, you can't be serious!"

"Why are you so aggravated anyway, Kite?" Lucia glared at him. "Ever since we started the Daliastar Group, you've been on my case, and frankly I'm fed up."

"Lucia's right, Kite. Just take it easy," Ray said calmly. He placed his large hand on Kite's shoulder, trying to bring down his temper.

Kite looked up at him with a flabbergasted face. He angrily shook Ray's hand off of his shoulder, stomping back to his couch. With anger, he muttered, "That bitch'll compromise us one day…"

Ray laughed a bit awkwardly, aware of the intensified atmosphere built around the two. In order to break it, he asked in stutters, "A-anyway…what exactly happened during the mission? What kept you?"

The young girl took in a deep breath. She exhaled, and started her explanation. She began with details on her infiltration, which was going perfectly. She was able to avoid most of the guards and Knights, but when it came time to extract and delete the collected data on the Daliastar Group, a security program was alarmed. The sirens began blaring, and the only thing she could do was to fight her way out. "I accidentally drew the attention of several high-ranking Knights, and was leading them in circles around the city since I couldn't get back to LOVE."

"So what happened to the Knights? You lost them, right?"

Her train of thought stopped for a second. Should she tell them about that man on the tower? What if telling that man about Daliastar Group was a bad idea?

"H-hey…You lost them, didn't you?" he asked again. Now she was starting to worry a bit. How should she answer?

"I…They…they were defeated by this man on the clock tower…" she answered hesitantly. Her eyes shifted a little to her right. Slowly she raised her left hand to her lips, feeling them with her thumb and index finger. Ray of course, did not know who or what she was talking about, but accepted it as it was. He gave her a nod of approval, followed by a 'thumbs-up' sign. He retreated into the bunk-room, laying down on one of the beds. Lucia looked at the floor, staring at her feet. She said quietly, "I…I guess I should get some sleep myself…"

It was the morning, and Chrysos had barely slept four hours before waking up to the chiming of the clock. He didn't know what time it was. He didn't care to bother. As he lifted himself off of his bed, Chrysos picked up his various articles of clothing on the floor. First was his dark undershirt, form-fitted to him, following with his traditional Adyte cloak, then a holster for his stone-like broadsword. Finally, he attached the single shoulder pauldron worn over his right arm.

"All right then…let's get to work…" he said quietly. No one was there to hear him, but at the same time he felt like he would lose his mind without hearing a voice once in a while. Suddenly a small vibration came from his pocket. A tiny voice quickly followed.

"….Hey you! Can you hear me?"

'_It was the Starlink that Lucia girl gave to me…'_ he thought. Hesitantly, he picked the device from his pocket, holding down the small grooved button. "Yeah…I hear you." Chrysos waited for the response.

"Hooray! Come outside the clock tower, there's a surprise waiting for you," she replied cheerfully. "…And it's not on top of the tower, so don't bother going out there…Just go out the normal way, okay?"

As instructed, Chrysos prepared to leave the tower. As he made his way to the elevator, a thought crossed his mind. 'Why am I doing this?' It was a rhetorical question for himself. Chrysos knew the answer very well. And it would be rude to just keep her waiting.

The elevator had always clanked a bit nearing the bottom. It was kind of strange, almost foreboding in a way. Like, it was telling him, 'Stay away.' Or at least, the thought always occurred when Chrysos used the elevator. Finally, the elevator stopped. The young man opened the doors, and walked outside. A girl in a white coat was waiting for him on a motorcycle.

"Yo!" greeted Lucia.

Chrysos was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say, or even think for that matter. "Is…this your big surprise?" he asked. To this, the girl giggled.

"Well, I should repay you somehow, right?" she asked. Lucia gave Chrysos a wink, continuing, "And what better than to go on a date with the beautiful me?"

No reaction came from Chrysos. No surprise, no eagerness, not even anger. The only thing that came from this man was a look that seemed to say, 'What? Are you stupid?'

Lucia began laughing hysterically. "Come on; don't look at me like that! I was just kidding," she explained. She then said, "Actually, I'd like you to come to work with me."

Chrysos couldn't respond with anything but, "No." He turned to go back into his clock tower, when Lucia called out to him.

"Please…I could really use your help!" she asked with a small laugh. She ran up to him and grabbed his right forearm. Chrysos stopped walking. "Hey…just go with me, have fun, okay?"

Fun…it wasn't a word Chrysos used often. In fact, not a word he had ever even thought of since leaving Adyte. Chrysos turned around, finally saying, "Whatever." It was a cold answer, because he was reluctant, unwilling. Lucia revved up the engine, speeding off through the streets of the city. Azriel was a large place, but most of it was filled with slums. They passed through each area of the slums, where people seemed to be dead on the inside.

Lucia slowed down the bike, saying, "I want to help them. No matter how long, or how grueling, I want to give them a chance."

Chrysos remained silent, staring off into nothing. The words echoed through his mind several times until finally he said, "Me…too…I want…to help them, too…" Lucia smiled a bit, and then sped off toward a small confectionary store. "Where are we?" Chrysos asked.

Lucia looked proudly at the teeny store. "This is LOVE," she answered. The hyper girl grabbed Chrysos by the arm again, leading him into the store. "We don't get a lot of business, but I guess that works out for us."

The two stepped into the store, and Chrysos looked fondly at the various sweets. Memories of his childhood flooded into his mind. 'She…would always take me out to get some candy…' he thought smiling. Lucia interrupted his train of thought, saying, "You know, I never did get your name."

Chrysos looked up, to see the girl's smiling face. He answered, "Chrysos." The smile was returned, and he and the girl started talking a bit more. They talked about the many sweets, the memories they brought back, and they talked about everything and nothing. It was happy for Chrysos, something he thought he couldn't feel. Then, as night drew closer, the two began talking seriously. They spoke of the current state of Azriel, the horrid King Aedan, and the Daliastar Group.

"Come on, Chrysos…I'm sure if you helped we'd be able to stop Aedan," said Lucia. Chrysos tilted his head a bit, pondering what he should do.

"I think…that I should help you again," he replied. "But…what will happen then? After you defeat Aedan, what then?" It was a hard question. What will happen to the people? Will life go back to the way it was before Aedan? Or will it change forever? No one can really tell, but they know that change is necessary. Change from what Azriel is now. To stop Aedan is necessary for life to go on.

"…Peace," she answered, after what seemed like so long. A small ring came from her Starlink. Lucia answered it, holding the device to her soft lips. "Lucia, here. My next mission?"

From the Starlink, Ray's voice answered, "Not a mission…Kite is…acting strangely…"

Confused, Lucia asked, "What…do you mean?"

"He's…babbling strange nonsense…and staggering about…Like he's been traumatized."

Lucia looked up at Chrysos, who looked back at her. "I'll check it out…" she said into the Starlink. "Where are you right now?" She turned to the doorway, and Chrysos followed her. She didn't leave just yet, because she was still talking on the Starlink.

"I'm with him, at the third warehouse, near the Gummi Ship docks," Ray replied. His voice sounded a bit hesitant, a bit scared. "We were on a mission, to infiltrate Aedan's keep. He was hit; it was the closest safe place I could get to…"

Lucia nodded. "I'm on my way." After deactivating the Starlink and placing it back in her pocket, she gestured Chrysos to follow her onto the bike. The two sped through the city, nearing the warehouses. Suddenly, a black shadow knocked them forward off of the bike. "What the hell?" Lucia asked, looking back at the bike. It was wrecked. Chrysos grasped his stone blade, ready to attack.

"Heartless…" he said quietly, glaring at the shadow wall. It began deforming, quickly moving behind them. Chrysos followed it with his eyes, turning to follow it. Slowly he pulled out his sword as the form began bubbling. A black humanoid monster appeared before Chrysos and Lucia.

"Wait, Chrysos…Let's get to the warehouse, quick!" Lucia cried, pulling on Chrysos's arm again. Chrysos, though, was adamant. He wouldn't move, he just stared the beast down. His eyes were intense, filled with hate. Suddenly, it leaped toward the two. Chrysos pushed Lucia away, spinning away to dodge the clawing attack, and stabbed the Heartless in its back. "Okay Chrysos, let's go already!"

Again, Chrysos stood his ground. The Heartless began reforming in the Darkness, returning to its original shape. "Damn," said Chrysos, looking at the Heartless. For a second time, the Heartless leapt at them, clawing away. Chrysos dodged, grabbing Lucia's arm, tugging her toward one of the warehouses. It was safe for now, but who knows how long that would last? Lucia was panting quite heavily. She was panicking; the Heartless have never been in Azriel. Why were they there now? She looked at Chrysos, who was still as serious as before.

"It…It was the creature…that destroyed Daliastar…" she whispered, still very scared. Chrysos nodded.

"One of them…" he agreed. He had to find a way out of there. "That thing is classified as an Invincible…Only Magic should be able to destroy it…"

"M-magic?!" Lucia cried out in surprise. "That's impossible. Magic is just a myth."

"The King of Flame, Aedan, uses Magic…one of the few people in the many Worlds who can," Chrysos responded. "That was how he is powerful, because of Magic…"

"Then…can you use Magic?"

"…"

He couldn't say anything. His affinity for Light had been lost when Adyte was destroyed. It's impossible for him to use Magic in the state he was now. After a long time, he answered, "We need pure Light to beat the Invincible…the closest thing that can come to that is Light Magic, or you could say electricity-like attacks…"

Lucia thought about this for a long time. Facing the creatures that destroy Worlds is far worse than fighting against the Flame King's Knights. But they had to see Kite and Ray. "…Okay. Then I could do it, if you distract him…" she said. "I can't use Magic, but if I can get him to be hit by electrical power, then that should…"

"That should be good enough to stun him until we get to Warehouse 3."

"…Good…"

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Once again, the two fighters stood outside in the dark port. Ahead of them was the continuously mutating shadow. Chrysos pulled out the stone blade, suddenly striking down at the Invincible. As he engaged in battle, Lucia snuck around the back, shooting small holes in electrical wires, weakening them.

At the same time, Chrysos just barely dodged a clawing strike from the Invincible. He was keeping up with it just fine, but still trying to conserve his energy. The shadowy beast struck again, barely scraping away at his Adyte armor. The young fighter was confident, even holding the heavy stone blade wasn't affecting his speed. Most Invincibles are weak in speed anyway. It's just that they can only be harmed by Light. Suddenly, an electrical wire struck Chrysos in his back. He screamed out in pain and surprise.

"Oh! Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Lucia shouted from the roof. The Invincible looked up, seeing the young girl face-to-face. "Uh-oh…!" Quickly, it jumped up to the roof warehouse she stood on. She ran to the other side, increasing the distance between the two. The Invincible slowly made its way half-across the roof toward Lucia, then swiftly lunging at her with its claws. Thinking fast, Lucia rolled out of the way, shooting the shadow with her lead bullets. It turned to face her, and again thrust its claws out. She back-flipped off of the roof, and as the Invincible flew over her, she shot through its body, hitting an electrical wire just precisely so that it would fall onto the shadow.

The Invincible shook violently as electricity ran up and down its body. Lucia gave Chrysos a 'thumbs-up,' to which Chrysos nodded, slightly smirking. The two ran through the port, quickly reaching the third warehouse, where Ray and Kite were.

"Ray!" Lucia called out, entering the warehouse. She saw Kite, sitting on the floor against a wall. His eyes were wide with some kind of shock. His body was limp, but he seemed to be muttering some kind of nonsense. "Oh my God…!" The girl ran to him, holding his right hand in both of hers. Chrysos could only watch. After all, he was an outsider. Ray approached him from behind, placing his hand on the bright-haired boy's shoulder.

"He's…turning into one of them…"

The voice of Ray was sad, but Chrysos felt something strange about it. Almost…emotionless… "You don't mean…**that**…?" asked Chrysos, turning around. Ray nodded. Chrysos turned back to Lucia, screaming, "Get away from there Lucia!"

The girl looked up, turning to Chrysos. "What?"

Behind her, Kite was standing up, though rather stumped over. His arms and neck hung over loosely, and his legs were spread far, to give the man a kind of balance. In his right hand, the shadow of a black claw appeared, striking Lucia from behind. She cried out in pain as Chrysos ran toward the now awakened Kite.

"You won't get away with that…"

Chrysos held in his hands the stone blade, gripped ready for the upcoming fight. The Heartless before him started to mutate horribly, as both of its arms exploded into the forms of gigantic black claws. From his back a black orb protruded. It must have been painful, because Kite was screaming the whole time. From the orb four long legs shot out, lifting him off of the ground.

"What can we classify this one…?" Ray asked himself quietly. "Perhaps…Anti-Kite would suffice…"


End file.
